Han dynasty scholar and adviser to Emperor Wen whose essay 过秦论 on why the Qin fell is read in Chinese high schools. Sent away to Changsha, he died at 33, a byword for wasted talent.
'On the Faults of Qin' is Jia Yi's representative work.
Tips
history
Emperor Wen made him tutor to his favourite son, the Prince of Liang. When the prince fell from his horse and died in 169 BC, Jia Yi sank into grief and died the next year, the classic case of 怀才不遇 'talent that never finds its use'.
culture
李商隐's poem 《贾生》 mocks the emperor who summoned him: 可怜夜半虚前席，不问苍生问鬼神, 'a pity he leaned forward at midnight to ask not about the people but about ghosts and gods'.
